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Students in Mead Valley California want to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at their middle school. Some parents aren't happy about this: "Brandi Estes is
among a group of perturbed parents planning to pass out fliers in hopes
of stopping the club. She said she has nothing against gays and
lesbians, but "how can a child 10 or 11 going into middle school decide
if he or she wants to be straight or gay?"

George Michael has been partying down under with a new boy: a rent boy.

Candy Crowley about anti-gay slurs shouted by teabaggers at the U.S. Capitol last week: "A CNN producer heard the word 'faggot' yelled at Barney Frank more than once in House Longworth Building."

Sounds like the guy who hacked into Britney Spears's Twitter account is making excuses: "I am not a hacker. I am a kind pirate. I did not act with a destructive aim... I wanted to warn them, to show up the faults in the system."

We've been reading about Derrick Martin for the pastweek. How have his his gay friends at school reacted to all of the media attention he's received? "He expected some of them to stand with him when he took his request to school officials. 'I thought I would have had a little bit of backup,' he said, disappointment creeping in his voice. But it’s just me.'”

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY): "Earlier today an envelope containing white powder and a threatening letter was delivered to my community office in Kew Gardens. The NYPD was immediately alerted and have responded appropriately by sending a Haz-Mat team."

A volcanic eruption can sometimes be a good thing: "A small Icelandic volcano that initially sent hundreds fleeing from their homes is turning into a boon for the island nation’s tourism industry, as visitors flock to catch a glimpse of the eruption."

HUD seeks help with anti-gay discrimination study: "Starting Thursday, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department will enlist residents in three cities with large gay populations - Chicago, New York and San Francisco - to offer ideas on how such a study should be conducted."

Citibank blocks account of gay start-up Fabulis because of "objectionable content." "Do I think Citibank or Citigroup is a homophobic malicious company? No. Do I think some compliance officer is a moron who made a really stupid decision? Yes. Three hours of trying to sort this out provided even more comedic insanity than I even revealed on the blog post. Including a bank manager who didn’t want to talk about this because she was uncomfortable talking about the content of our blog over a recorded phone conversation." TechCrunch weighs in. Citi responds. Chapter ends.

Presbyterians to ordain gay minister: "A regional governing body of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country has voted to ordain a gay Madison man with a long-term partner, bucking national church policy that bars gays and lesbians in open relationships from the ministry and perhaps setting a precedent. The decision Saturday in Madison by the John Knox Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is expected to have a national impact and be challenged by opponents."

X-Factor
contestant Olly Murs enjoyed
playing "gay chicken" with fellow contestant Danyl Johnson: “Gay
chicken is this game where you lean in to kiss someone and you await to
see who turns away first. We were leaning in and laughing, but then
Danyl actually closed his eyes! I’ve always been really open-minded. I
don’t judge people.”

UK gay man wins discrimination claim against company that tried to "de-gay" his pub: "The former assistant manager said he had been ordered to put up a sign outside that said 'This is not a gay pub' and made to reprimand a homosexual couple for their overtly romantic behaviour, before being told he was 'another kind of gay'...The firm was ordered to pay Mr Lisboa £4,593.75 in compensation."

Homophobic bullies in UK taking their conquests to YouTube: "It is the most recent development in the ongoing problem of homophobic bullying, which remains a major issue even as Brent Council has begun a concerted effort to tackle it.
Youth worker, Lukasz Konieczka said the latest way in which some youngsters were being bullied was through group attacks known as 'rushing,' which are then broadcast on the internet."

Anti-gay Liberty Counsel wingnut Matt Barber calls for removal of gay Prop 8 judge: "This is no different than having an avid gun collector preside over a Second Amendment case, or a frequent user of medical marijuana deciding the legality of medical marijuana."

NYC to get massive gay entertainment complex/hotel/club? "Officially described as 'The Out NYC: a hospitality and entertainment destination geared to the gay community,' the project, due to be completed by early next year, is informally dubbed 'a hetero-friendly urban resort' by its developers."

San Francisco Unified School District strengthens protections for gay and lesbian students: "The new policy will require the district to track harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation, provide cultural sensitivity training to school staff and give parents educational materials each year. It also directs staff to seek outside funding for its program."

8: The Mormon Propositionfinds distributor: "ABC 4 News has learned that '8: The Mormon Proposition' has now sold its North American rights to distributor 'Red Flag Releasing.'...'Red Flag' plans to release the film theatrically and on VoD in the spring of this year."

Origin of HIV transmission revealed: "Until now, it had not been established whether HIV RNA or DNA is transmitted during sex. By analyzing the genetic differences between these two forms and the virus that was ultimately transmitted to newly infected individuals, we found that it was the HIV RNA form present in seminal plasma that was transmitted."

Hate crime charge added in lawsuit by HIV-positive man alleging he was beaten by officers in Blue Island, Illinois: "According to the lawsuit, Demetrius Anderson, who suffers from mental illness, attempted suicide in April 2009. Officers arrived on the scene and chased Anderson, who panicked and fled when EMTs arrived. Anderson claims that the officers battered him by shooting him with a taser, standing on his hands, feet, back and neck and handcuffing him tightly.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the officers made comments regarding Anderson's religion, mental illness and sexual orientation."

Transgender group turned away from Boston-area restaurant: "Ashley Bottoms, 42, of Saugus is alleging that she and seven others from Sisters Family were not let into Capone's Italian American restaurant on Summit Street because their appearance did not correspond with the photographs on their identifications."

Transparent frog among 30 new species discovered in coastal rainforests of western Ecuador: "The team of scientists, who work for Reptile and Amphibian Ecology International, also identified four new species of stick insect, three species of lungless salamanders, a tiny, scaly-eyed gecko known as Lepidoblepharis buschwaldii and a bushmaster – the longest viper in the world."

Budding "ex-gay" sounds off: "But for the first time in my life, I’ve been getting to know girls.
It’s been a blast. As a teacher, I find them naturally adept at flying
helicopters. They listen and they are good at multi-tasking. They are
fun to be around and sometimes they’re pretty."

Gays in Buffalo, NY rally in response to recent gay bashings: "he evening was light by candlelight as the hundreds gathered moved through Buffalo's historically gay neighborhood. Allentown is the home to many glbt residents, businesses and most of the area's gay bars.
Many observers were clearly moved as the participants began to move their candlelight procession down Allen Street towards Main Street. This marked the first time in recent memory that there has been any public demonstration of gay civil rights in Allentown."

Ugandans threaten U.S. product boycott over anti-gay bill: "Sempa said, 'Most Ugandans do not support homosexuality. We are to
launch a campaign against consumption of US, UK, and Canada products in
Uganda if those countries continue to threaten our country because of
the anti gay bill. We will make people stop buying Coca Cola, Pepsi
Cola and other products from USA.' Ugandan observers however claim that while the government might not
tolerate Sempa’s declarations due to the high economic stakes, Sempa’s
threats, if realised, could prove risky for Ugandans as it could put a
high number of people out of work."

Newt's list: "Among the other Republican candidates Gingrich named as possible 2012
contenders included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Also included on Gingrich's list are Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota,
Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Rick Perry of
Texas and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. South Dakota Sen. John Thune may
also be a potential candidate, Gingrich said."

Why the sudden shift by China on gay rights? "Chinese forums are awash with the debate, another sign that things may be changing. One poster even joked that tóng xìng
(same-sex) relationships could be the answer to the country's lopsided
boy-to-girl ratio. It is estimated that by 2020 around 24m Chinese men
of marrying age will be without spouses."

Gay bashing brawl under investigation in Clear Lake, Iowa. "A man was reportedly dancing when he was slammed to the ground and beaten by another patron who made rude references to the man’s sexual orientation.
A friend of the victim then reportedly tried to pull the attacker off of him and that resulted in other patrons getting involved.
Peterson described the scene as 'mayhem.'"

Black gay couple walk out of Mount Calvary Holy Church during anti-gay sermon: "Mack and Garrett, 32, contacted DC Agenda about their decision to walk
out on Owens’ sermon and are believed to be the first gays to publicly
disclose their departure from a church that activists say has a large
number of closeted gay members, mostly black."

Susan Boyle has new airport meltdown: "The source went on to explain that while SuBo was waiting to board a
flight to Chicago, she suddenly grabbed a cleaning product out of a
janitor's cart and used it as a fake microphone..."

Drug resistant HIV poised for surge, self-sustaining epidemics: "When
the team used the model to look into the future, it predicted a rapid
upsurge in the spread of resistant strains. The model suggested that
60 per cent of the resistant strains currently circulating in San
Francisco could cause "self-sustaining epidemics", says Blower, in
which each infected individual spreads the resistant strain to more
than one new recipient."

Maryland delegate introduces anti-gay bill: "Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr.'s measure would also declare that marriages between individuals of the same sex are against the public policy of the state of Maryland.
The House of Delegates Judiciary Committee has rejected similar measures introduced before, which prevented the bill from going to the House floor for debate.
In neighboring Washington, D.C., gay couples will likely be able to apply soon for marriage licenses. The district's City Council passed a bill last month legalizing same-sex marriage."

Documentary about killing of gay Liverpool teen Michael Causer to be screened at Istanbul International Film Festival: "We are all really excited that such an important film is being shown in
Turkey. The international struggle for LGBT equality and acceptance is
one which is the central message of this film. What happened to Michael
Causer was a travesty of justice and was plainly ignored by many in the
national media."

Pope defends invitation of Anglicans disaffected by gay policies to convert: "Benedict told members of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith that the invitation wasn't an attack on the church's
reunification efforts with other Christians but designed to help them
by bringing about 'full and visible communion.'"

British auto show Top Gearslammed for not allowing gay couples in studio audience: "It’s very odd, but what do you expect from pigs that grunt? Regrettably, with Jeremy Clarkson involved, it’s not surprising. The show itself is full of stereotyping of both men and women – but it’s funded by gay and lesbian licence fee cash as well as everyone else’s. Arguably, this is a breach of the Sexual Orientation Regulations 2005."

LOGO greenlights four new series for 2010:
"The four greenlit series include 'The Robert Verdi Show Starring
Robert Verdi,' which casts an unblinking eye on the celebrity-filled,
super-high-stress lives of "stylist to the stars" Verdi and his
creative team; 'RuPaul's Drag U,' where RuPaul and other drag queens
apply fairy godmother dust to the looks and lives of people in need of
a little assistance; 'The Arrangement,' an original series that follows
the surprisingly intense action in a high-end floral design
competition; and 'Kept,' the much-buzzed-about project that takes an
unflinching look at a handful of gay men in Manhattan who are, or
aspire to be 'kept' by another man."

Google considering selling advertising on Google Maps street view images:
"The link can be associated with a property owner, for example the
property owner which owns the physical property portrayed. The link can
alternatively be associated with an advertiser who placed the highest
bid on the image recognized within the region of interest (e.g.,
poster, billboard, banner, etc.). Any portion of the geographic display
image in which the region of interest is located can be selectable
(e.g., hot-linked). For example, the image of the coffee shop can be
hot-linked to an advertisement for the coffee shop."

Full Frontal Fashion Q&A with Johnny Weir: "This year I have been so inspired by Fabergé eggs. I think inspiration
can come from some of the least expected places. I can say that at the
moment, I am very inspired by Lady Gaga’s style as well as the style of
Sergey Lazarev. Gaga is always forward, while Lazarev dresses the way I
think a man should dress, and I find myself somewhere in between."

Italy to open prison for transgender inmates: "The prison, at Pozzale, near the Tuscan city of Florence, is expected to house inmates who mainly have convictions for drug-related offences and prostitution.
Gay rights groups in Italy welcomed the move to convert an almost empty medium security women's prison into a specially equipped detention centre.
It is thought that Italy has a total of some 60 transgender prisoners.
The centre will house about 30 people, according to reports."

Facebook employee tells all? "Facebook is recording data on everything you do on the site. Everything.
And not just the messages you’ve written and received either: it knows
how many times you’ve clicked on your friend’s profile, which photos
you’ve viewed, and more. Using this data it can establish who your best
friends are, which helps it generate interesting stories in your News
Feed. According to the interview, this data has recently been used to
streamline search (your best friends show up first as your type in your
query, rather than an alphabetical list)."